Spiritual direction is a process encompassing the formation of the whole person. It is a partnership between Teacher & Student along the noble path of wisdom, virtue, anf zeal.
As these noble values (wisdom, virtue, and ardency) draw our hearts toward Christ, we become more in His likeness: becoming all we were meant to be. The Christian tradition is not something esoteric, abstract, and unfamiliar. Rather, Christ uses ordinary things: fellowship, rest, study, and accountability to accomplish great things in a person. The mystery comes in forming a real connection with this Way, unlocking its spiritual reality in our daily lives, and allowing Him to work through them as He calls us up into higher things.
Read on to learn about steps you can take to rest in the Way on your own, as well as a breakdown of what having spiritual direction can bring to your life.
“Nobility is a two-edged sword.
It draws love from the good
but wrath from the scornful.
It is a kind of mercy.
Like mercy, it offends the vile…
but inspires the great.”
— The Enchiridion Viaprisca (2027)
There are many good paths, but only one Way. If the path you walk is sure, it will lead you to this hard road, and through this narrow gate where there is life. Seek the Lord where He may be found. Pursue having a spiritual director for yourself where you live.
However, If you are a man living in San Diego, consider reaching out to the CrossSwords Order as a resource for you to live in fellowship with other men in the world pursuing the spiritual life together. We are laity, men of the Church living in the world serving our families and being dutiful in our occupations, but who commit ourselves to the path of knighthood: a disciplines live of holiness akin to the monastic but remaining fully in the world and open to the vocation to family.
Spiritual Direction with the CrossSwords Order.
Spiritual Reflection
The most intensive element of CrossSwords spiritual direction, spiritual reflection involves LOOKING BACK and diving deep into our patterns of Cognition (beliefs), Affection (feelings), and Behavior (habits). These three together comprise a profile of ourselves as a person. Student and Teacher examine these closely for areas of dissonance, previously unnoticed and, by careful teamwork, these domains are brought into accord, and tempered for a sense of clarity, peace, and harmony. This first step begins initiates of our Order on the journey, determines the House they will fellowship in, and prepares them to begin training in nobility. We all bring many different things to the table when we begin, here we assess ourselves, chart out a plan for growth, and begin to follow the Way.
Mindfulness Training
Mindfulness training involves centering oneself within the present moment, that is: LOOKING NOW. By systematically cleansing clutter from one’s awareness, Teacher and Student work through disciplines of meditation, which allow the individual to practice virtue, gain the acuity needed for acquisition of wisdom, and also the clarity of will to bring zeal to play in their pursuits. Meditation has a negative and positive side: like breathing in and breathing out. The highest point where both of these meet is in the practice of purposeful prayer. No matter what path an individual walks through life in, mindfulness training equips them with the self-mastery to see clearly, to choose wisely, and to live well. This middle phase of training allows those who follow our Rule of Knighthood to move from the space cleared by their reflection into the “building up of spiritual muscle” through the disciplines.
Life
Coaching
This third wing of Spiritual Direction is where the Student and Teacher are LOOKING FORWARD. In a process called by soma as “Life Coaching,” this process works to make tactile steps toward the kind of future we want for ourselves. In our context, this means applying what we’ve covered in the practice of sharpening our minds by reasoning, desires through discipline, and habits through prayerful service. Through setting goals and accountability, this is a step by small-step process. The sense of purpose that comes from goal-oriented responsibility empowers us to reset our lives and then live well. Knights in our Order seek top progress to this stage of training, where strongholds of sin and slavery to self are broken, the habits of holiness have been attained, and now a person is freed to put this to a positive use of service to Christ and neighbor.
“The Way must be true enough
– Sharpen Your Soul
to never change.
The Way must change enough
to always be true.“
— Sharpen Your Soul (2021)
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